TVS iQube 110cc Hybrid Scooter Could Be The Big Unveil On August 23rd

It is speculated that the upcoming TVS iQube 110cc Hybrid scooter might be unveiled on 23rd August. It was earlier showcased at the 2010 Auto Expo. Last year, the hybrid scooter’s patent was bought. We expect it to be priced somewhere around Rs 75,000. Check out more details ahead.

Hybrid scooters are not much found in India. Currently, there is no hybrid scooter. A lot of people might get confused with Electric Scooters. While the Electric scooter runs fully on an electric motor, hybrid scooters use their electric motors just for ignition and the initial acceleration. It is a combination of the petrol and hybrid engine, which is more efficient too. Coming to the original topic, looks like TVS will be the first one to launch a hybrid scooter in India. The TVS iQube 110cc hybrid scooter, the first in India, might be unveiled on 23rd August. It was showcased at the 2010 Auto Expo and last year, the bike’s patents were bought. Let’s move on to the specs and the expectations about the scooter.

The upcoming TVS iQube might use a 110cc internal combustion engine working simultaneously with the lithium-ion electric motor. It is said that the hybrid system comes with a brake energy regeneration that recharges the battery. It gets 150 Wh and 500 Wh battery options. The petrol engine will come mated to a CVT gearbox. It will come with multiple driving modes including Hybrid Economy and Hybrid Power. The mileage is estimated around 70 KMPL.

Now, we will explain to you how this hybrid engine works. For instance, if your speed is below 20 km/hr, the scooter will run on an electric engine. As soon as the speed increases, the petrol motor takes over the scooter. This helps in increased and maintained fuel efficiency. Most of the fuel is used in the stop and go traffic or heavy braking. However, with the hybrid system, it will be more fuel efficient.

The TVS iQube also gets benefits from the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India) scheme, which provides subsidies for hybrid and electric scooters. Also, there has been a recent decrease in the GST rate on battery packs to 18% from the earlier 28%. So, these two things could lead to the popularity of hybrid and electric scooters in India. Also, it would help in the price reduction. Currently, all the electric scooters are priced exorbitantly high.

If all these speculations are confirmed, the TVS iQube will take on the Okinawa Praise, Ather S340 and 450 and the upcoming Hero Electric scooters. The Ather models are priced quite high starting at around Rs 1.2 Lakhs. As said earlier, the GST rate on extra battery packs was earlier 28%, so the prices were high. Now, as the rate has been reduced to 18%, we all expect some reduction.

Lastly, the price expectation for the TVS iQube is around Rs 75,000. It will be a premium 110cc scooter, placed much above the Activa, Jupiter and all the 110cc scooters. It may be much higher for a 110cc scooter, but in the long run, it saves a lot of your fuel expenses. But still, we expect it to have a good run in the market.

Stay tuned to CarBlogIndia for more updates on the upcoming TVS iQube 110cc hybrid scooter.